(Ryne Sandberg via Instagram)
Ryne Sandberg, a Chicago Cubs legend and Hall of Famer, announced Monday that he is battling metastatic prostate cancer.
Sandberg said on Instagram that he was told last week of his diagnosis and has begun treatment. Metastatic prostate cancer means the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
“We will continue to be positive, strong, and fight to beat this,” Sandberg wrote. “Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time for me and my family.”
The second basemen, 64, played for the Cubs in the 1980s and 1990s. Throughout his career, he made 10 All-Star teams, won nine Gold Gloves and was named the National League MVP in 1984. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005 and his No. 23 was retired by the Cubs.
He went on to have a career as a coach and manager in the minor and major leagues before returning to the Cubs as a team ambassador.
The Chicago Cubs organization released a statement Monday after the announcement reading, “Ryne, we're sending love, strength and support your way. With locked arms, we are rallying around you and your family on the journey ahead to conquer this battle.”
Last year, the team announced he would be honored with a statue outside Wrigley Field, joining a list that includes Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo, Ferguson Jenkins and Harry Caray.
“Everybody comes across the country to watch Cubs games just because of Wrigley Field,” Sandberg said last year when the statue was announced. “To have that outside of there and have the fans be able to see that and enjoy it along with my family, that’s pretty cool.”
The Associated Press contributed.
